Massachusetts : a guide to its places and people, Part 55

Author:
Publication date: 1937
Publisher: Boston : Houghton Mifflin Company
Number of Pages: 802

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The Middlefield Fair Grounds are located in the village on a high plateau. Here the Highland Agricultural Society, in existence since 1857, holds its annual fair and cattle show early in September.

One mile west of the Center (no direct road) is the Site of the Dam that once furnished power for the woolen mills in the valley below. The barrier broke in 1874 and again in 1901, causing so much damage the second time that the owners were not allowed to rebuild it. A great jagged hole in the middle of the old wall recalls the double catastrophe. At 16 m. is the Peru State Forest (camping grounds, fireplaces, tables, swimming), a 1974-acre recreational area ideal for hiking and camping. From the camp grounds a foot trail northwest ascends Garnet Hill, from which may be obtained a remarkably fine view of the surrounding forests. At 20.7 m. is the junction with State 8 (see Tour 21) about 0.8 m. south of Hinsdale.

TOUR 5 : From BOSTON to NEW HAMPSHIRE LINE (Salem) 31.6 m., State 28.

Via Somerville, Medford, Stoneham, Melrose, Reading, Wakefield, Andover, North Andover, Lawrence, and Methuen.

B. & M. R.R. (Haverhill Division) parallels this route throughout.

Macadam and concrete roads; heavily traveled.

NORTH from Boston, State 28 passes along landscaped boulevards through an industrial and heavily settled area. The countryside grad-

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ually becomes more open, and the cities give way to rolling farmlands and residential towns.

West from the State House, Boston, on Beacon St. to Massachusetts Ave .; right on Massachusetts Ave. to junction with US 1 (see Tour 1), State 2, and State 28, at 2 m .; right on State 28, passing Massachusetts Institute of Technology (L) (see CAMBRIDGE).

At 4.5 m. is the junction with Somerville Ave.

Left on Somerville Ave. is SOMERVILLE, 0.5 m. (see SOMERVILLE).

At 6.5 m. US 1 (see Tour 1) branches right.

At 7.6 m., at the junction of Fellsway West and East, is the Immaculate Conception Convent, awarded the Parker Medal for its architecture.

At 8.7 m. are Roosevelt Circle and the junction with Forest St.

Left on Forest St. is MEDFORD, 0.7 m. (see MEDFORD).

Between Medford and Stoneham, State 28 cuts through a section of Middlesex Fells. The Old Man of the Fells, 9.3 m., is a rock formation with realistic profile, especially when thatched with snow.

At 11.3 m. on State 28 is the junction with South St.

Right on South St. is Spot Pond, one of the important distributing reservoirs of the Metropolitan System in the beautiful Middlesex Fells Reservation.

At 0.4 m. is the Fells Zoo, containing a large collection of wild animals.

STONEHAM, 12.2 m. (town, alt. 147, pop. 10,841, sett. 1645, incorp. 1725), was settled as part of Charlestown. Unsuited for farming, the town early developed small industries, such as shoemaking in private homes. Of the many factories into which these home industries expanded, only two large ones remain. Stoneham has become a residential suburb of Boston.

On the corner of Central and Pleasant Sts. is a house bearing a sign stating that it was built in 1826 on Summer St. as the first Town House, and in 1833 was moved by 40 yoke of oxen across a frozen meadow to its present site.

I. Left from Stoneham on Maple St. to Park St., 0.2 m., which leads left to South Marble St., 0.6 m., at the end of which, 1.3 m., is a footpath running to the summit of Bear Hill (alt. 280). This hill was visited in 1632 by Governor Winthrop and an exploring party, who ate a meal on a rock near its base. They dubbed it Cheese Rock because they discovered that the Governor's aide had supplied them with cheese but no bread. From the Observatory Tower on a clear day there is a wide view, including the waters of the Atlantic.

2. Right from Stoneham on Franklin St. at 2.1 m. is the junction with Main St .; right on Main St. is MELROSE, 3 m. (city, alt. 55, pop. 24,256, sett. about 1629, incorp. town 1850, city 1899). Formerly a part of Malden, this district was known locally as the North End or North Malden.

The Boston and Maine Railroad, opened in 1845, was an important factor in in- creasing the population and in developing Melrose as a residential center. Chiefly a suburban city, Melrose manufactures a brand of 'Boston Baked Beans' sold from coast to coast.

Native of Melrose and a graduate of its public schools was Geraldine Farrar (b. 1883), dramatic soprano, member of the Metropolitan Opera Company.

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Walter Emerson (d. 1895), cornetist, during most of his lifetime was a resident of Melrose.

Along the Lynn Falls Fellsway is Sewall Woods Park, the gift of the heirs of Judge Samuel Sewall, the abolitionist. It was a condition of the gift that the park remain wooded with uncut trees.

Left from Melrose on Grove St. at 0.3 m. is the junction with Lebanon St .; left on Lebanon St. to Laurel St. at 0.4 m .; right on Laurel St. at 1.4 m. is Mt. Hood Park. An Observatory provides a view ranging from New Hampshire's hills to the ocean horizon. Tradition states that upon this summit the Wampanoag Indians lighted signals fires by which they communicated with other tribes as far away as Mt. Wachusett.

The Mt. Hood Reservation (municipal golf course; bath house, beach at Low Pond), holds an annual Winter Carnival sponsored by the National Ski Association.

At 15.3 m. is READING (town, alt. 107, pop. 10,703, sett. 1639, incorp. 1644). The English title to the lands comprising Lynn and Reading was confirmed by the heirs of Wenepoykin, the deceased sachem of Lynn, for whose tribesmen this had been a favorite hunting ground.

Shoemaking and furniture-making prospered until the Civil War, when the loss of the Southern market and the increasing competition of mass production combined to ruin this business. Other factories grew up, however, for a great variety of products, but almost all are now idle. Today the town is chiefly residential.

The Old South Church (1818), on the Common, is a stately reproduction of the Boston original.

On Washington St. near State 28 is the Parker Tavern (open Sun. aft. 3-6, May-Oct .; guide; adm. free), built 1694. During the Revolution the old place served as quarters for Colonel Campbell, a British officer captured at Boston Harbor in 1776. British officers taken in the War of 1812 were held here as 'guests.'

The Reading Inn, 633 Main St., is noted for its baked bean suppers. Beantown was the ancient nickname of Reading, and the coach which operated between Boston and Reading was called the Bean Pot.

The Octagonal House (open), 21 Pleasant St., has a novel interior arrange- ment.

Right from Reading on State 129 is the junction with Bay State Rd. at 1.4 m .; left 0.3 m. on this road is Camp Curtis Guild, the State Rifle Range, one of the best equipped camps in this section and site of the annual New England championship matches.

State 129 parallels the wooded shores of beautiful Lake Quanna powitt (every form of fresh-water sport), and turns right to WAKEFIELD, 2.9 m. (town, alt. 88, pop. 16,494, sett. 1639, incorp. 1812), named for one of its leading citizens, Cyrus Wake- field, who on Water St. established the first Rattan Factory in the world.

The Beebe Memorial Library, 1923, is one of the many public buildings designed by Cram and Ferguson. Their work here reflects late English Georgian influence. The building is constructed of red New Hampshire brick with limestone trim.

The Hartshorne House (open 2.30-5), 41 Church St., a restored dwelling (1663) is furnished with authentic Colonial furnishings.

On Prospect St., between Cedar St. and Fairmont Ave., is the Emerson House (private). Its exterior is plain, but details of the interior are wide board floors,

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pegged, instead of nailed; beautiful paneling; hand-hewn beams pinned with wooden dowels; hand-wrought thumb-latches and H and L hinges; and early kitchen equip- ment, including a Dutch oven, cranes, and a spit.

Straight ahead from Wakefield on Main St., 3.5 m. are Crystal Lake, a local reser- voir, and Hart's Hill Reservation, a natural park. Near-by stands a Fire Tower from the top of which on a clear day are visible the blue Atlantic, the misty Berk- shires, and the wooded hills of New Hampshire.

At 3.6 m. on Main St. is the junction with Green St .; left here to Oak St. at 4.1 m., leading left to Nahant St. at 5 m .; right on Nahant St. to the Wakesaw Reservation, the name a combination of 'Wakefield' and 'Saugus,' 5.3 m., a State park of 600 acres with bridle paths and footpaths.

At 19.1 m. is the junction with State 62 (see Tour 1C). At 21.3 m. on State 28 is a junction with State 125.

Right on State 125 0.4 m. to the Harold Parker State Forest, 2800 acres (foot trails and picnic areas; hunting and fishing; small fee for use of fireplaces and wood).

At 24.4 m. are the beautiful grounds and buildings of Phillips Andover Academy for boys, oldest incorporated school in the United States, established in 1778 by Samuel Phillips, Harvard graduate (1771), with the co-operation of his family. The school has today (1937) 650 students, a faculty of 70, and nearly 100 buildings.

The Phillips family, with William Bartlett and Moses Brown of New- buryport and John Noyes of Salem, also founded here Andover Theo- logical Seminary, now situated in Cambridge. The Academy and the Seminary drew Lowells and Quincys from Massachusetts, Washingtons and Lees from Virginia. Eminent graduates have been Samuel F. B. Morse, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Josiah Quincy, and George Herbert Palmer.

On the corner of Phillips and Main Sts. is the Phillips Academy Archae- ology Museum (open weekdays 9-5, Sun. 1-5; adm. free).

Pearson Hall (R), built in 1818 and then known as Bartlett Chapel, one-time center of the Theological Seminary, was also designed by Bulfinch. Its cupola is typical of his work. The half-windows which are placed in a long series between the arch-topped windows of the first story and the rectangular windows of the second story, designed to bring light to the chapel galleries and the library, are an unusual feature. Bulfinch Hall (1818) is named for its architect. The building shows Bul- finch characteristics, especially in the pediment on the projecting central section and the beautifully proportioned cupola. The interior has been altered, but the exterior remains much as it was when a Phillips graduate, Oliver Wendell Holmes, described it in his poem 'The School Boy.'

The Phelps House (private), on Main St., is attributed to Bulfinch. It is a two-story building with hip roof, balustraded parapet, Ionic portico, and central Palladian window. Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward, the novel- ist, lived here during her father's seminary professorship.

On the campus, directly opposite the Phelps House, is an Armillary Sphere in the Assyrian style, designed by Paul Manship. The Memorial Tower with its carillon of 37 bells was dedicated to Academy men who

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died in the World War. The Oliver Wendell Holmes Library, in Georgian style, decorated with murals, houses the Charles H. Forbes group of ' Virgiliana,' over 100 volumes, and Holmes's collection of first editions. On Chapel St. (R) are the red brick Academy Chapel and the Elm Arch shading the path across the campus to Salem St.

Phillips Inn, also on Chapel St., harmonizes architecturally with the surrounding buildings and is furnished with Colonial pieces, old engrav- ings, and Currier and Ives prints. Behind the inn is the gambrel-roofed stone Stowe House (1828). Remodeled in 1852, it became the residence of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of 'Uncle Tom's Cabin.' 'Dred' was written in the study on the lower floor. She is buried in near-by Chapel Cemetery beside the son she mourned in 'Only a Year.'

Also on Chapel St. is the Addison Gallery of American Art (open weekdays 9-5; Sun. 2.30-5; free). Completed in 1931, this Georgian style building houses an excellent collection of American paintings, including works by Ryder, Sully, Copley, Sargent, Whistler, John Marin, Preston Dickinson, and Thayer. There is also a fine collection of American silver, furniture, models of famous American ships, prints, and sculpture.

On the right is George Washington Hall, administrative center of the Academy, named to commemorate the friendship of General Washington with its founder. Left from here are the blue of Rabbit's Pond (skating and boating) and the 150-acre tract of the Moncrieff Cochran Bird Sanctu- ary beyond.

ANDOVER, 25 m. (town, alt. 92, pop. 10,542, sett. about 1642, incorp. 1646), was purchased from the Indians about 1643 by John Woodbridge, for £6 and a coat. Known as Cochichewick (Indian, 'Place of the Great Cascade'), it was named Andover for the English home of early settlers.

Powder mills built during and after the Revolution were operated by Samuel Phillips until they were destroyed by explosions. Then Phillips established a paper mill and Abraham Marland commenced the manu- facture of woolen cloth; flannel-weaving was begun, the first flax products mills in the country opened. Mulberry trees were planted to furnish food for silkworms in a futile attempt to produce silk. Present indus- tries are the making of rubber and woolen goods.

From the Center, where ancient elms cast their shadows across smooth lawns and stately residences, to the summit of the Hill, dignified by Phillips Academy, Andover displays the serenity of a cultured tradition. The Andover Historical Society House (open Tues. and Sat. 3-5; adm. free) on Main St., built in 1819, has 19th-century furnishings.

The America House (private), 147 Main St., makes up in interest what it lacks in architectural beauty, for it was here that Samuel F. Smith when but 24 wrote the words of 'America.'

The 25-acre campus and the buildings of Abbot Academy, named for Mrs. Nehemiah Abbot, wife of the Steward of the Commons at Phillips Academy, are close to State 28 on School St. Founded in 1829, this

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From Boston to Salem, N.H.

was the earliest incorporated school for girls in New England. The first building on the extreme left is the John Esther Art Gallery (1907), containing a small collection of oils, bronzes, and engravings.

At the Samaritan House (private), on Main St., identified by its hip roof, elliptical porch, and Corinthian columns, Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote the 'Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin.'

The Isaac Abbot Tavern (private), 70 Elm St., was probably built in 1680.

Left from Andover Square on Central St. to the junction with Andover St. at 0.9 m .; left on Andover St., where on the corner of Argilla Rd. is the Benjamin Abbot Homestead, 1.1 m. (owned by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities; not yet open to visitors). Erected in 1685, it is said to be the oldest house in town. The walls, dark and weathered, the lean-to roof with pilastered central chimney, the ridgepole sagging under the weight of years, link it in age with the gigantic elm tree in the yard.

At 26.2 m. is SHAWSHEEN (alt. 40, Town of Andover), formerly a company village, planned by William Wood, president of the American Woolen Company, to embody architectural beauty, efficient operation, and pleasant working conditions for mill employees.

Right from Shawsheen on State 133 is the junction with Andover St. 2 m .; right on Andover St. to the green of NORTH ANDOVER, 2.1 m. (town, alt. 53, pop. 7164, sett. before 1644, incorp. 1885), the oldest section of historic Andover. During the witchcraft hysteria 41 of the townfolk were indicted, eight condemned, and three executed at Salem.

South of the Common is the Kittredge Memorial, commemorating the family of Thomas Kittredge, surgeon of the Ist Regiment in the Revolutionary War. The Kittredge Mansion (1784) (private), just north of the Green at 114 Academy Rd., is a three-story dwelling with a belvedere and two large chimneys.

At 148 Osgood St., which branches from Massachusetts Ave. at the end of the Green, is the gambrel-roofed Phillips Mansion (private), built in 1752 by Samuel Phillips, one of the founders of Phillips Academy, Andover. The house, with fields behind it, is set on a wide lawn in the shade of tall trees.

Just opposite stands the white Bradstreet House with a central chimney and lean-to roof. The house was built in 1667 by Governor Bradstreet, whose wife was Anne Dudley Bradstreet, the Colonial poet, who as an 18-year-old girl came over in the 'Arbella,' leaving a life of ease for the hardships of the pioneer settlement.

On Great Pond Rd., within sound of the Paul Revere Bell in the North Parish Church, is Cochichewick Lake (no swimming; boating and fishing by permit), half hidden among the rolling hills.

At 28.7 m. is the junction with Essex St.

Right on Essex St. into LAWRENCE, 0.7 m. (see LAWRENCE).

At 29.6 m. is the large plant of the Arlington Mills (see LAWRENCE). METHUEN, 30.6 m. (town, alt. 105, pop. 21,073, sett. about 1642, incorp. 1725), formerly in Haverhill, was named for Lord Paul Methuen, an English official of pre-Revolutionary days. Industrial development began after the Civil War; today the local products are diversified and of considerable value.

The Spicket River Bridge, 0.2 m. south of the Center on State 28, has cruciform-slotted square stone towers (R) and round towers (L).

About 0.4 m. east of the Center, off Charles St., is Daddy Frye's Hill,

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topped by the gray-stone towers of Tenney Castle and the battlemented walls of the Searles estate. During the 19th century, Mark and Nathaniel Gorrill, brothers, courted and were rejected by the same girl. They became hermits, never speaking to each other, though they continued to live in their homestead on Daddy Frye's Hill near the Castle. Re- cently a townsman said he had dreamed of hidden treasure in a wall; the place was searched, and in the cellar of one of the Castle's towers was found $20,000 in bonds, presumably hidden by the brothers.

The Nevins Memorial Hall and Library (open weekdays except holidays 1.30-9), 0.3 m. north of the Center, built in 1888 of mellow brick, with cloistered portico and stained-glass windows, was designed by Samuel J. F. Thayer.

At 31.1 m. are the stables of the large Vacation Farm for Horses, given to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals by Harriet F. Nevins. Race-horses recuperate here between seasons, and dray-horses rest from years of labor.

At 31.6 m., State 28 crosses the New Hampshire Line, about 25 m. south of Manchester, N.H.

TOUR 6 : From ORLEANS to RHODE ISLAND LINE (Providence) 87.6 m., US 6.

Via Brewster, Dennis, Yarmouth, Barnstable, Sandwich, Bourne, Wareham, Rochester, Marion, Mattapoisett, Fairhaven, New Bedford, Dartmouth, West- port, Fall River, Swansea, and Seekonk.

N.Y., N.H. & H. R.R. services this area.

Hard-surfaced road, concrete and asphalt paving.

US 6 on this part of the Cape skirts the shore of Cape Cod Bay, running through white dunes, pine woods, and cranberry bogs that only occa- sionally allow a view of the gray or blue of the water. West of the Cape it cuts south to skirt the west shore of Buzzard's Bay.

ORLEANS (town, alt. 35, pop. 1425, sett. 1693, incorp. 1797) was presumably named for Louis Philippe, Duke of Orleans, who visited New England in 1797. The settlers were engaged in shipping, shell fisheries, and salt works. Windmills and surf mills were used to pump the sea water for the latter into vats on the shore.

Orleans, like other coast towns, suffered during the War of 1812, but immediately afterward had a return of prosperity and the number of salt works increased to 50, cod fisheries developed, and the fields, fertil- ized by horseshoe crabs and seaweed, were cultivated. Even manu-

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facturing, represented by a shirt and overalls factory, was attempted, and lasted till about 1900. Catering to tourists is now the most profitable occupation.

Orleans was the setting for Joseph C. Lincoln's novel 'Mr. Pratt'; Thoreau gave excellent descriptions of it in 'Cape Cod'; and Elizabeth Reynard has preserved local folklore in 'The Narrow Land.'

In Orleans on US 6 is the Site of Jeremiah's Gutter, the first Cape Cod Canal. In 1717, the water had a free sweep through this cut, enabling a whaleboat to pass from the bay to the ocean.

I. Right from Orleans on Rock Harbor Rd. at 0.3 m. is the junction with Skaket Rd., left on which at 1.2 m. is the Linnell House (1855), on Rock Harbor Rd., built by Captain Eben Linnell, skipper and tea trader renowned for a record trip from the Thames to Hong Kong in 83 days. The design of his home was based on a country house in southern France that the Captain had noted on one of his many voyages; he added the traditional widow's walk.

At the end of Rock Harbor Rd. is the Town Landing, 1.1 m. This is the Site of the Battle of Orleans, in which, in December, 1814, Orleans militia repulsed a British landing party.

2. Left from Orleans to Nauset Beach, 3.3 m., where one quiet Sunday morning in July, 1918, a submarine rose suddenly offshore and bombarded a tug and three coal barges, firing 147 shots in a little more than an hour. The aviation base at Chatham was notified, but all the flyers were away playing baseball; one plane ar- rived eventually and dropped monkey-wrenches on the spot where the submarine had been. There is still no explanation why a 'German' submarine should have wasted 147 shots on empty coal barges when the town lay at its mercy.

At 0.9 m. is Higgins Tavern (private), a gray two-and-a-half-story inn with red trim, once a stagecoach station. Thoreau once spent a night here be- fore hiking the 30 miles to Provincetown. The old ballroom has in recent years been used as a summer theater by the Drama Guild of Orleans.

At 2.8 m. is the Roland C. Nickerson Park (cabins, tent sites; trout and salmon fishing). This 1727-acre tract was the first park in Massachusetts to be administered by the State Conservation Commission.

BREWSTER, 5.7 m. (town, alt. 116, pop. 715, sett. 1656, incorp. 1803), was named for William Brewster of Plymouth Colony. Fortunes made at sea in the early 19th century brought wealth to the town and built luxurious homes. Today, catering to summer visitors supports the town.

The Captain Elijah Cobb House (1800), off US 6, 0.2 m. west of the Center, is a yellow two-story late Georgian house surmounted by a widow's walk. The stirring life of Captain Cobb, a wealthy shipmaster, is told in 'The Memoirs of a Cape Cod Skipper.'

The Joseph C. Lincoln Birthplace (1870- ), 0.3 m. north of the Center, is a small one-and-a-half-story white clapboarded house. Mr. Lincoln has used Brewster as a setting for many of his stories. The writer's father was the last of a long line of sea captains.

At 8.2 m. are the two Dillingham Houses (1660), of the salt-box type, with small enclosed old-fashioned gardens.

At 9.4 m. is the junction with a road.

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Right on this road is the site of Sears' Folly, 0.8 m. John Sears in 1776 con- structed what is said to have been the first vat on Cape Cod for making salt by solar evaporation of sea water. He began by using a vat 100 feet in diameter and 10 feet high, with rafters over it, and shutters so contrived as to cover the vat when it rained and expose it to the rays of the sun on fair days. Local people called it Sears' Folly, but in time this invention built up a two-million-dollar business.

DENNIS, 12.2 m. (town, alt. 160, pop. 2017, sett. 1639, incorp. 1793), originally in Yarmouth, was named for the Rev. Josiah Dennis, pastor of the first meeting house. Important in the fishing and coasting trade, Dennis in 1837 had 150 skippers sailing from American ports. It also had salt works.

About 1816 cranberry culture was started at North Dennis, by a native who noticed that wild cranberries grew best when a light sand covering had been blown over them. Sand overlay is now an essential part of the cultivation of these berries.

At Dennis are the Cape Playhouse and Cape Cinema. The Playhouse was once a Colonial meeting house in Barnstable; and the Cinema, one of the smallest in America, has Rockwell Kent murals and a façade copied from that of the Congregational Church in Centerville. Many celebrated actors have appeared in this theater in try-outs of plays that became Broadway hits. The two buildings, located on a 27-acre farm, are surrounded by flower gardens and landscaped woodlands.

Left from Dennis on an improved road to Scargo Hill, 0.6 m., topped by Tobey Tower, affording an expansive view of Cape Cod Bay, and the Atlantic, with Cape Cod, a narrow arm between them.

YARMOUTH, 16.3 m. (town, alt. 24, pop. 2095, sett .- incorp. 1639), is known for its elm-shaded streets. Yarmouth's history is typical of that of the Cape in general, and after the confusion of the Revolutionary War, like other Cape towns, it struggled to adapt itself to new conditions. A large share of the ships which New England sent in response to alluring opportunities offered by the Napoleonic Wars were commanded and sailed by men from Cape Cod, with those of Yarmouth in the forefront. The years between 1815 and 1855 saw the zenith of its prosperity, with great activity both ashore and afloat. Just before the Civil War, how- ever, the glory of the American merchant marine began to fade, the fishing business tended to become concentrated in Gloucester, Boston, and Provincetown, and the Yarmouth fleet, like those of the other Cape towns, gradually went out of existence.

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Massachusetts : a guide to its places and people, Part 55

Author: Publication date: 1937 Publisher: Boston : Houghton Mifflin Company Number of Pages: 802

Author:
Publication date: 1937
Publisher: Boston : Houghton Mifflin Company
Number of Pages: 802